CASS™ Certification

CASS is a process for evaluating address-matching software. The CASS system improves the accuracy of carrier route, five-digit ZIP™, ZIP + 4^®, and delivery point codes that appear on mailpieces. CASS is offered to all mailers, service bureaus, and software vendors who want to evaluate their address-matching software and improve the quality of their ZIP + 4, CRIS, and five-digit coding accuracy. This process is graded by the National Customer Support Center (NCSC) and the results returned to mailers in order to provide useful diagnostics for correcting deficiencies.

CASS enables the Postal Service to evaluate the accuracy of address-matching software programs in three areas: (1) ZIP + 4 delivery point coding, (2) carrier route coding, and (3) five-digit coding. CASS allows vendors and mailers the opportunity to test their address-matching software packages, and after achieving a certain percentage of compliance, to be certified by the Postal Service. CASS does not measure the accuracy of ZIP + 4 delivery point, five-digit ZIP, or carrier route codes in a mailer's existing files. CASS enables mailers to measure and diagnose internally written, commercially-available, address-matching software packages. The effectiveness of service bureaus' matching software can also be measured.

CASS certification is an annual requirement and is valid from the certification date until the end of any current annual period, i.e., from August 1 of one year through July 31 of the next.

There are two stages in the CASS process: Stage I is optional (but recommended) prior to attempting certification, while Stage II is required for certification.

STAGE I - A Test with Answers

The CASS Stage I files are tests with answers provided and are intended to enable businesses to measure and diagnose the accuracy of their address-matching software. All CASS Stage files contain approximately 150,000 test addresses created from data in the ZIP + 4 product, a database containing accurate ZIP + 4 codes for the United States and its territories. Most Stage I test address records are altered for testing purposes and not all records have valid ZIP + 4 codes or valid addresses. Customers can evaluate the accuracy of their address-matching software by applying the correct carrier route, five-digit, and ZIP + 4 codes and by comparing the applied codes with the correct codes provided by the Postal Service.

STAGE II - A Test without Answers

CASS Stage II also contains approximately 150,000 test addresses that are extracted and presented in the same makeup and mixture as Stage I, but no answers are provided with this test. The CASS Stage II files (ZIP + 4/DP, 5-digit ZIP Code™, Carrier Route, eLOT, RDI, DPV, DSF², LACS^Link and Merge/eLOT/DPV/LACS^Link) enable developers to demonstrate the accuracy of their address-matching software.

The CASS Stage II files are tests for which customer answers are required. Match rates using CASS-Certified™ software vary greatly depending on address hygiene, the quality of addresses used, and the timeliness of the customer database update applications. An address with an incorrect ZIP + 4 code, carrier route code, 5-digit ZIP Code, or an address with no ZIP + 4 code can contribute to delays in processing mail.

To be CASS Certified, participants must pass with a minimum score of 98.5% for ZIP + 4, carrier route, five-digit and LACS^Link, 100% for Delivery Point Barcode, eLOT, DPV, RDI and DSF². Software must attempt to match against every mandatory category, and each category requires a score of 98% accuracy. CASS certified software is valid for one year; addresses processed through a CASS certified product must be reprocessed every six months for automation discounts. Certified vendors are published periodically in Postal Service documents.

For more information, call the National Customer Support Center at 1-800-238-3150, view the CASS Technical Guide or view the list of CASS Vendors & Licensees.